


the best worst thing (that hasn't happened to you yet)

by kadaransmuggler



Series: just two kids, stupid and fearless [2]
Category: Mass Effect, The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Drug use implied, F/F, Os Alta is the Citadel is the capital city of Ravka, and a lot better, because nikolai is bae and i refuse to alter his character for this, but like, i wanted more kick-ass searching for liara and nikolai but i didn't know how to achieve that, liara finds shepard again, nikolai lantsov is miranda lawson, not really - Freeform, so this is the result, the next one is planned out, this is just a filler i suppose, this isn't as good as the first one, trust me i promise it won't suck as bad, vaugely - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-02
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-05-04 14:13:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5337044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kadaransmuggler/pseuds/kadaransmuggler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been three years since Alina Shepard's dramatic stunt on Sturmhond's stolen ship to escape the Darkling. Liara lives on Nos Astra as the galaxy's best information broker, and Nikolai Lantsov has some information.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the best worst thing (that hasn't happened to you yet)

Alina Shepard surfaced five minutes later, as far away from the stolen ship as she could kick. The cold stole her breath away, but she was alive, and that was the important part. Luck was on her side, too, as she heaved herself onto a small hunk of ice and snow. There was another that hid her from view, and she only hoped that the ship passed on before she froze to death. Her hands were still bound, and the metal was scorchingly cold. She curled in on herself, letting light blossom between her hands, her body desperate for the faint heat it provided. Her teeth clacked together, and as she settled in for a miserably long wait, she began to think. She had no idea how she was going to get herself out of this mess, and back to Liara, only that she hoped the Darkling hadn’t been lying when he said he wasn’t unnecessarily cruel. She shook her head, increased the heat the small ball of light produced, and curled closer to it. I’ll come back to you, Liara, she murmured to herself, and in the following months it would become her mantra.

* * *

 

Three years later, Liara T’Soni was in Nos Astra, the city that always seemed to glitter with light, even in the dead of night. She hadn’t exactly been welcomed back with open arms, but it was starting to feel less like an empty husk and more like a place she could live, not just exist. There was still a gaping hole in her chest where something was missing, where her bondmate’s absence ached, but Liara had dealt with loss before, and she supposed she was becoming a master at it now. She wrapped her arms tightly around her stomach, in attempt to ward off both the cold and the sudden wave of loneliness that threatened to consume her. As she approached her apartment, the air started to feel wrong. It was oppressive, heavy, and she noticed that the door was unlocked, and slightly ajar. She had locked it this morning, and she distinctly remembered almost forgetting and doubling back to do so. She frowned, her hand slipping inside the pocket of the hoodie she was wearing and gripping a gun. Both had once belonged to her bondmate, and for a moment, Liara felt a sharp twist of grief. She pushed it aside and adjusted her grip on the handle of the gun before gently nudging the door open the rest of the way. It didn’t even creak.

Lounging casually on her couch, like he had every right to be there, was Sturmhond. Liara forced herself to bite back a snarl. “Why are you in my apartment?” she demand, the gun pointed unwaveringly at his chest. “I have information that you might like,” he answered casually, unhurriedly. He looked…different, now. His nose wasn’t as grotesquely broken, and his hand was a sandy blonde instead of a dull red, but he was, without a doubt, Sturmhond. “I could charge you for breaking and entering. There are other ways to contact me,” Liara answers, her voice as cold and hard as steel. “I have a flair for the over dramatic,” he commented, stretching out. And that…that made her angry. This stranger, this man that had aided in her capture, had aided in her bondmate’s death, was acting like he owned the place. “My patience is running thin, pirate. Either give me the information, or get the hell out of my apartment before I shoot you,” she replied, and she is proud when her voice doesn’t shake with the anger that is slithering along her veins, pressing against her skin.

The privateer didn’t correct her, only giving her a smirk that was nearly as infuriating as his odd familiarity. “I know where your bondmate is,” he said, like he was waiting for Liara to throw herself at him and spew her gratitude at him. Instead, she stalked across the room and slammed the side of the gun into his cheek. “Tell me, or I’ll empty a thermal clip into you,” she snarled, pressing the gun into the soft flesh of his thigh. "She's in the Zakera district of Os Alta. She's been using and dealing Hallex, and a lot of it," he answered, and he didn't seem bothered by the twitching finger on the gun's trigger. "They're not letting anyone in or out of Os Alta," Liara murmured, her grip on the gun slackening. Her brain was going a thousand miles a moment, desperately trying to figure things out. "Where did you get this information?" Liara asked, although she'd meant to demand. "I have a large supply of people loyal to me and only me. Can you say the same, Shadow Broker?" he returned, and fury struck through Liara again. She wasn't sure what she should direct her anger at, but it was burning beneath the surface of her skin, and it wouldn't be long because she caught fire from the heat of it.

"Why didn't you go to the Darkling with this information? Since you were so inclined to help him before," she spat out, more venom in her tone than strictly necessary. Sturmhond shrugged. "It was his mistake for hiring a privateer. He stopped paying enough. Also, I was never loyal to him in the first place. Had your bondmate not jumped off of my ship, I had a plan to get you both out of there safely," he answered. Liara narrowed her eyes at him, and he gifted her with a lazy smile. "I need time to think. Get out of my apartment. Come back tomorrow if you want to help me," she said, pulling him off of her couch and pushing him gently towards the door. He stopped just before he crossed the threshold, turning to look back at her. "If we're going to stage a dramatic rescue, you should know who I am. My name is Nikolai Lanstov," he said, and then he was gone. His name had crossed her desk several times, and she would have been sorely disappointed if it hadn't. The Lantsov boy was the King's second son, although there were rumors of him being a bastard.

She spent the next three hours filtering through her agents, replacing all the ones in the capital. They all reported directly to her, yet somehow they had forgotten to report that Alina was alive and relatively safe. The Shadow Broker was not someone easily betrayed, and the title still brought an aura of fear and mystery amongst the hushed circles of information brokers. She spent the three hours after that pacing until she collapsed on the bed, falling into an uneasy sleep. She'd seen Alina on Hallex before, had used it with her once when they ran with the Reds. It wasn't a pretty sight, but it was far better than death. As she lay there, drifting between asleep and awake, her hands crossed over her stomach, she decided she'd have to trust the Lawson boy.

The next morning, he was on her doorstep bright and early. "Decided to trust me yet, Broker?" he asked. Liara yanked him into the apartment, closing the door firmly behind him. She stalked over the window, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared out at the twinkling skyline. She felt Nikolai move behind her, hovering a few steps behind her right shoulder. "We'll get her back, T'Soni. I have good men to help us with the job," he promised solemnly. "Get me into Os Alta, Lantsov, and I'll find her," Liara murmured.

Three weeks later, after walking all of Ravka again, and Nikolai had kept his promise. Liara was in the seedy underbelly of the Ravka's capital city. Nikolai walked with her, along with two of his crew. They looked casual, but they all had weapons that could be out and ready in seconds, and with the filth of Ravka surrounding them, that was the safest route. "You know her best, T'Soni. If anyone can find her in this pit, you can," Nikolai murmured in her ear, linking his arm with hers. And so Nikolai led her through the district, Liara's eyes picking up every detail. Then she saw her, sprawled out in the corner. "Alina!" she yelled, tugging free of Nikolai and running towards her. Alina's head shifted, her far-away gaze landing on Liara, and she pulled herself out of her reverie almost instantly. "Hey, Blue," she said, her voice crackly. She pushed herself up with the wall. "You're high on Hallex, aren't you?" Lantsov asked, coming up behind Liara. "Nah. But don't let anyone else know that," she answered, throwing her arm around Liara's shoulders. Liara slipped one arm around Alina's waist, breathing her in. "Do you have a safe house?" Liara whispered, her need urgent. "Yeah," Alina answered, her eyes sliding back around to Liara. "Lantsov, if you'll excuse us, we have some...catching up to do."


End file.
